Does anyone know what the parameters of the front passenger seat weight sensor is? We have a 2020 CX-5 and the passenger airbag is activating with just a phone or the wife's small purse setting on the seat. It is not every time. The seat has never been wet. Took it in to have it checked out by the dealer and was told that is normal. I know this is not normal but have not been able to find the actual parameters of the sensor to prove my case.

 

Our 2019 Touring seems to work the opposite way.
My 110 lb wife sits on a thin pillow and that isn't enough to activate the airbag.

 

My 12 pound cat sets off the seat belt light for passenger seat.

 

And if my wife sits on a cushion the airbag is disabled. Apparently there is a wide variance in sensor sensitivity.

 

Or a wide variance in Wives ;-)

 

On our 2021 I have noticed it doesn't take much weight to deactivate it, maybe 5 lbs worth of stuff.

 

I knew Cadillac used a capacitance type sensor but went to Alldata to verify that Mazda did as well before posting

"Warning• If an additional, thick seat cushion is placed on the seat cushion, the occupant classification sensor will determine that there are no occupants (child is seated on child-restraint seat or seat is unoccupied) and, as a result, the air bag may not operate (deploy). If an occupant (adult) is to be seated in the front passenger’s seat, do not place an additional thick cushion on the seat cushion.
• If the occupant is seated in an extremely unusual manner, such as at the front of the seat, the occupant classification sensor will determine that there are no occupants (child is seated on child-restraint seat or seat is unoccupied) even if the occupant (adult) is seated on the front passenger’s seat because the area of the seated occupant is smaller and, as a result, the air bag may not operate (deploy) if the vehicle is involved in a collision. If an occupant is seated in the front passenger’s seat, verify that they are seated in the correct posture.
• If the seat cushion becomes dampened, the occupant classification sensor will determine that the front passenger’s seat is occupied by a child or unoccupied, or that an occupant (adult) is seated and, as a result, the air bag may operate (deploy) if the vehicle is involved in a collision. If the front passenger’s seat has been dampened, do not seat a child requiring a child-restraint seat on the seat.Caution• If an object with a high dialectic constant (such as bottled liquid) is placed on the front passenger’s seat, the occupant classification sensor will determine that an occupant (adult) is seated and, as a result, the air bag may operate (deploy) if the vehicle is involved in a collision.
• If an electric device such as a personal computer is placed on the front passenger’s seat, the occupant classification sensor will determine that an occupant (adult) is seated and, as a result, the air bag may operate (deploy) if the vehicle is involved in a collision even if the seat is unoccupied."

"Detection function
• Because the capacitance changes according to the following, the occupant classification sensor detects the presence of an occupant based on the change amount.― Dialectic constant of sensor mat and material (such as cushion material and occupant clothing) between sensor mat
― Area of sensor mat matching area (buttocks, thigh) of seated occupant
― Distance between sensor mat and occupant (buttocks, thigh)"

I ran into this a lot in the service dept; usually electronics or heavy purses, in my case it's usually mail and/or groceries.

 

I have a 2015 CX-5, my seat sensor was going off all
the time with nothing on it. I’d have to connect the seat belt to make the sensor stop. This was fixed in a recall last year where Mazda replaced the bottom part of the seat… hopefully this can be fixed for you too!

 

my cellphone set off the sensor on my 2018